Perfect
by scarlett2112
Summary: "Daddy, you may be giving me away today, but I will always be your little girl. Never forget I loved you first." *I Can't Escape Myself* story verse.


**_Happy Valentine's Day. We wanted to make this special by giving you two peeks into the lives of this Salvatore family. This is the companion piece to 'Almost Perfect'. Read that one first although this can be a stand alone too._**

* * *

Mellie is laying on her bed, her cellphone against her ear as she listens to her fiancé with rapt attention as he explains to her all the ways he's going to make their wedding night memorable. She shivers, her face heats up and reddens when he mentions his tongue. When she hears a knock on her bedroom door, she tells him goodbye, sets her phone down and gets up to answer the door. Pulling it open, she steps back so her mother can come in.

Elena takes a breath and sits down on the bed. She strokes over her now burgeoning belly with one hand while patting the space beside her, encouraging Mellie to join her. No one was more surprised than she and Damon when the stick turned pink, thirteen years after having the triplets. They thought their family was complete after the Zach, Emma and Lily arrived. Mellie is 19 now and getting married in a few weeks. As much as Elena cares for Walker, she's has mixed feelings about her oldest daughter leaving the nest. For the first year of her life, it was just the two of them. Although Mellie knows her dad was sick, she really doesn't know the entire sad story.

Mellie smiles and sits down beside her mother. "Our appointment to have your dress refitted is tomorrow. I never imagined my mother being pregnant at my wedding," she laughs, entwining her fingers with Elena's.

"Neither did your dad and I."

"I was looking for my baby book. Do you have it?"

"Sure, sweetheart, I'll go get it." Elena stands up and leaves, returning a few minutes later with the book in hand. As soon as she sits down again, she shares a look with her daughter then opens the cover. Elena goes through the pictures, pointing out her first smile, one of her with her uncle Jeremy, Mellie's little hands squeezing his cheeks together, his smile is infectious. There's also one of her with Uncle Zach and Aunt Jenna as well as many with her grandparents.

"How come there's no pictures of me and daddy till I'm a year old?" she asks when they finally reach the page when Damon sees her for the first time. He was still an inpatient at the facility then. His blue eyes are sparkling but Elena remembers how scared he was when Mellie reached out to him.

"You know why, sweetheart. Your dad was sick for a very long time."

"I know he was sick but that doesn't mean he couldn't see me or didn't he want to? Did he not want to be a dad?"

"Nothing could be further from the truth. Your dad loved you from the moment we saw you on the sonogram. He never would have left me, never. You know all this, Mellie. Why are you doubting your dad? Where are these questions coming from all of a sudden?"

"I just find it odd that there are no pictures of the two of us till I was almost a year old. What kind of hospital doesn't allow visitors?"

As Elena is about to open her mouth, she looks up when there's a light rap on the door.

"Dad?"

"Melanie, you and I have looked at your baby book together many times. I tried to explain it but in hindsight, maybe you were still too young to comprehend and you never questioned it till now. The reason there are no pictures of me and you prior to that was because I was in a mental hospital."

"What?"

"Yes, Mellie. You're aware that I had a car accident and if it hadn't been witnessed, I would be dead. It was afterwards that I developed what they call post traumatic brain injury induced psychosis. I didn't know who your mom was nor did I know anything about you. I knew my family but no one else."

"I don't understand," she adds, her gaze darting from her dad to Elena and then back.

"It's true. I didn't even know who your mother was, Mellie, let alone that she was pregnant with my child when the accident happened. It took a lot of time and you should know that your mom never gave up on me."

Damon sits down beside Elena, wraps an arm around her shoulder and presses a kiss to her temple. "If not for your mom, I don't know if I would have found my way back."

"I never knew, I mean, I knew you were very sick, I just didn't know it was mental illness. Does it run in the family?"

"No, no, " he shakes his head back and forth. "It was a result of my head injury. You have nothing to be afraid of."

She sucks in a breath and bites on her lower lip while nodding to her dad. Damon can see that she's still unsettled about it. "Mellie, I love you. And you know that you can talk to me about anything. You can also talk to your grandparents about it. They were uncertain as to how the doctor should treat me and maybe if they had allowed your mom to see me sooner, I wouldn't have missed so much but we'll never know. If you need to talk, I'll be in the garage with Zach, we're going to change the oil."

He gets up, drops a kiss to the crown of Elena's head and then pulls Mellie up to stand in front of him. He embraces his daughter, tells her he loves her and with a wink at his wife, walks out of the room, disappearing when they hear his footsteps trotting down the staircase.

* * *

"It's pretty, I love it here," Mellie mentions, stooping down to pick a wildflower. Walker offers his hand and helps her up and then pulls her into his arms. He brushes her hair off her face and then leans in to give her a kiss, tilting her head so he can deepen it. When they part, he takes her hand and they continue their walk along the hiking trail.

"What's bothering you Mel?"

"It's my dad."

"What? Why? You and your dad have always been tight."

"I was looking at my baby book with mom and there are no pictures of the two of us till I'm about a year old. I know they told me before that he was very sick but I guess I never really thought much about it till now. They explained it all to me when I was pretty young, I guess I was satisfied with the explanation but now, I feel sort of sad about it."

"Is there something that you didn't know before?"

"Not really I suppose, I just didn't put the pieces together before. He explained that he had post brain injury psychosis, that's what he called it, after his car accident. Apparently it was so bad that he had to be institutionalized He also admitted that he didn't know who mom was, so he didn't remember me either."

"That's rough. Your mom must have been a wreck."

"I've been thinking about her too, how she had to be responsible for everything and despite that, she never wavered in her belief that she'd get daddy back. It breaks my heart that she had to do it all alone, her parents weren't the most supportive back then so she fled to my uncle Zach's place. That's how he met Aunt Jenna. Since dad couldn't be her rock, he stood up and filled that void. She said that her friends, Uncle Kol and Aunt Rebekah were incredibly helpful too but Zach was really her lifeline. I have to admit that I really admire my mom. They were so young, my mom was like 16, she could have given me up for adoption or worse. The fact that she and dad are still together is a miracle itself."

"It is and I love your parents' devotion to each other. I think you get your strength from not only your mom but your dad too."

Mellie's smile lights up her whole face when she steps onto her tip toes and gives him a peck on the lips. With a wink, he pulls her off the trail to a secluded spot where he gently lays her in the soft grass and drops his mouth to hers.

* * *

Zach drives the ball to the basket, he jumps and scores. When the ball bounces off the rim, Emma snags it for a rebound. She dribbles the ball down the drive and tosses it to Mellie who scores a layup. Lily and Emma high five each other.

"Come Zach, we need to get that two points back," Walker yells and steals the ball from Lily, he jumps to make a shot but the ball hits the rim and bounces into Emma's hands, she maneuvers her way back to the hoop and then she jumps, dropping the ball in for another score.

"That's two more, Walker," Emma gloats, raising an eyebrow at her soon to be brother in law.

"Game on, Em."

Walker grabs the ball and starts running around at a dizzying pace, finally sinking a basket. When Zach grabs the rebound, he lurches to his left when Mell tries to stop his advance. Seeing that Emma and Lily have Walker guarded, he jumps and shoots but the ball bounces off the backboard.

In a surprise move, he grabs it again and passes it to Damon who suddenly appears on the court. Damon takes it, dribbles it a couple of times then leaps. The ball soars through the air, hits the backboard. It bounces against the rim and then it spins around it maddeningly, Damon holds his breath willing the ball to go through the net. Just as it seems the ball is gonna fall to the cement, it finally drops into the hoop. Zach roars, elated at the guys 21 to 19 victory.

When Damon smirks at Mellie, she crosses her arms over her chest. "Traitor," she utters, trying to keep a straight face.

"Next time I'll be on your team."

She jogs over and gives him a hug. "I love you daddy."

"Daddy," they all squeal and before Damon knows what's happening, he's on his back at the bottom of the dog pile.

* * *

The wedding is now only a week away and things have been frantic around his home. Frankly, Damon will be glad when all the chaos finally slows to a crawl. However with three thirteen year olds and a new one about to join the family, he's under no illusion that the calm will last for any length of time. He drapes his arm around the back of Elena's chair, smiling when their eyes meet.

"I'm so happy for her and yet I can't help but feel melancholy that she won't be in the house anymore. When college starts, they'll be moving to Great Falls, we'll only see them maybe once a month."

"I know, sweetheart. I have conflicting thoughts too. Walker is a great guy, she chose well but she's my little girl," he says softly, looking over to where she and Walker are chatting with some of their friends. She has a pretty floral patterned spaghetti strap dress with draping sleeves along with matching nude sandals. Her hair is in waves, shimmering under the lights. It reaches the small of her back. Despite his sense of loss, he really is so proud of her.

"She'll always be your little girl, Damon."

"Hi you two," Jenna's voice surprises them. Damon stands to give her his seat. "I'll let you two chat, I'm going to go over and talk with Zach and Stefan." Damon winks at Elena then walks away. She smiles when she feels her aunt pat her leg with her palm.

"And how are you feeling? What do you have another month?"

"Twenty six days to be exact," Elena laughs, nodding when she sees Mellie looking over her shoulder at her.

"She did good, Elena. You and Damon should be so proud."

"We are..." Elena answers absently. She can't shake the feeling that she forgot something, it's unsettling but she can't quite put her finger on it. Uncomfortable, she shifts trying to get some relief. As if she's caught in a slow motion maelstrom, her eyes pop wide open when she feels a gush of water. "Oh my God, Jenna. I think my water broke."

"What?"

Elena nods and slowly stands up. The back of her dress is wet as is her chair. "Don't move, I'm going to get Damon." Moments later Jenna returns with Damon who sees his wife's frantic eyes.

"It's not like you haven't done this before."

"I know Damon but it's been 13 years and I was a little younger then." It's then that Damon sees her face contort in pain and he knows she's starting to have contractions. He turns to Jenna and asks if she'll tell the others. When she nods, she helps Damon take her outside. He helps her in then reaches over and buckles her seatbelt. Just as he's about to slide into the driver's seat, he hears a frantic sounding "Dad?"

Looking up, he sees Mellie running towards them with Walker hurrying behind her. "Dad, where are you going? What's happening?"

"Mom's water broke, I have to take her to the hospital."

"She's having the baby? Tonight of all nights? It's my rehearsal dinner, dad."

"Mel, calm down. It's not like we planned this. Walker, take her back inside, come to the hospital if you want but your mom has more important things to worry about than guilt."

"We'll round up the others and then we'll come to the hospital," he says to Damon, shaking his hand. Damon nods and hops in, starts the engine and pulls out of the parking lot. Walker and Mellie watch till their taillights disappear.

"I cannot believe this."

"Sweets, your dad is right, this was the last thing they wanted to have happen. You're going to be a big sister again in a few hours." he says excitedly, hoping to lighten her mood.

"You're right, I am excited. Let's get Em, Lily and Zach. We can run by the house to change clothes and then go to the hospital."

"Let's do it but first this..." He cradles her face with his palms and then joins their mouths in a tender but sizzling kiss. When he feels her smile against his lips, he moans and in a surprise move, he dips her all the while keeping his mouth adhered to hers.

* * *

With a lurch and a squeal of the tires, Damon screeches the car to a stop, parking in front of the emergency rooms doors. He jumps out, skirts the hood and lifts her out, carrying Elena inside. The triage nurse calls for an orderly to bring a wheelchair and to take her immediately to labor and delivery. As soon as she's seated in the chair, Damon runs back outside to move their car. The nurse is helping her put on the fetal monitor when Damon darts into her room.

When he hears his name, he turns around. "Can you fill out these forms?"

"Shouldn't you have this all on record, it's not our first birth."

"Damon, that was a long time ago," Elena interrupts, sensing his agitation. He looks over his shoulder and nods, answering the woman's questions. He rolls his eyes when they're finally done and she leaves the room, giving them some much needed privacy.

Another contraction hits, she pants, her body gripped in pain. He hates this part of childbirth, the fact that she has to be in pain tears at his insides. She's bent over and he thinks she may just break the bones in his hand when she squeezes it.

He shakes it out when she finally loosens her grip, his fingers are white from lack of circulation. Moments later, they hear a rap on her door. Before they can say anything a nurse walks in and over to the bedside. She puts an IV in Elena's forearm for medication and then watches the monitors for a few minutes.

"Are the kids here yet?"

Damon shakes his head no and leans forward to press a kiss to her forehead when her face contorts in pain again.

Exhaling heavily, Elena takes his hand. "Emma, Zach and Lily shouldn't be here all night. Mellie and Walker should take them home."

"When they get here, I'll tell her. Don't worry about anything but bringing this one into the world." He presses his palm gently against her bulging belly. Damon happens to notice a far off look on her face, he tilts his head, meeting her gaze. "What is it?"

"Promise me something?"

"Anything," he said, taking her hand again. "You name it."

"If anything happens," she starts, dropping her eyes to her belly, unable to look at him.

"No, Elena."

"If something happens to me..."

Damon interrupts, "We're not doing this."

"I don't want to either Damon but I love you so much, if it did, I want you and the kids to be happy."

"Elena, stop this. I know you're scared, hell I am too, it's been thirteen years. Sweetheart, you're the strongest person I know, nothing is going to happen. We were separated once, I don't ever want to be apart from you again." His voice cracks at the mere mention of the word.

"Damon?"

"No, Elena."

The onset of another contraction ends her morbid thoughts. This time the pain is brutal and she cries out, almost certain that her screams can be heard down the hall. Their nurse comes back in to check her vitals and before long, their doctor, Tobias Fell comes in to check her progress while instructing the nurse to give her some pain medication.

He watches as the nurse injects something in her IV before dropping the empty syringe into the sharps box. The doctor nods and walks out, saying he's going to check on another of his OB patients and that he'll be back in a few short minutes. Elena's eyes start to grow heavy but they widen when another contraction rips into her.

When Doctor Fell returns, he's wearing scrubs, a couple more nurses following behind. They get Elena's legs in the stirrups while another helps Damon slip on a gown. "She's crowning," he announces and looks up at Damon, "Would you like to see?"

"Yes, he peaks over her leg, amazed to see a mop of thick black hair poking through her center. He looks over his shoulder, his smile beaming as he looks at Elena while never letting go of her hand.

"Elena, as soon as you feel the next contraction, I need you to push."

The next contraction rips through her body causing her to scream in agony and Damon slides in behind her back to support her when she curls up, pushing with everything in her.

"You're doing great, Elena."

Completely exhausted, tears begin to leak from her eyes. Damon presses a kiss to her sweat drenched hair then drops his mouth to her ear. "You can do this, I know you can."

"Elena, with the next one push as hard as you can."

"Okay," she sobs, gripping Damon's hand, feeling the pain come, she curls up and pushes again. Damon feels himself beginning to tear up. It's killing him to see her, his angel, screaming in sheer agony.

"You're almost done, baby, you can do this," he whispers softly as he continues to give her strength, holding her hand and telling her he loves her.

"Head's out," the doctor announces "One more big push, Elena."

She grits her teeth and when the next contraction peaks, she pushes as hard as she possibly can, her effort rewarded when Dr. Fell announces it's a boy. He quickly suctions out his nose and mouth then lays him on Elena's chest. Both Damon and Elena crying, immediately in love with their son. Much too soon for their pleasure, the nurse takes him to record his vital statistics. Elena takes his hand and he kisses her fiercely before leaving the room to find their family while the doctor delivers the placenta and sutures her episiotomy.

* * *

Mellie is staring at herself in the mirror. Her dress is a beautiful pale pink with sleeveless tulle and organza. The hand-beaded embroidered gown has double lace shoulder straps, a sweetheart neckline, drop waist and a chapel length train. She turns around to look at her behind, smiling at the fit.

Elena brushes a stray strand of hair off of her face, cupping her cheek, gently nudging it towards her till their eyes meet.

"I have something for you," she smiles, but is having a hard time keeping her tears at bay, her post partum hormones are having a deleterious effect on her. As hard as she tries, she can't stop herself from choking up. When she bends down to pull the little box out of her purse, there's a slight rap on the door.

"It's dad, Mellie."

She opens it letting him come in with her new baby brother, Flynn Joseph Salvatore. She stoops down and brushes her fingertip across his chubby cheek. "Someone is hungry mom," Damon says, setting the carrier on the floor so he can hand their son to his mother.

"Hold him for a moment, I was just about to give her the gift," Elena wipes her eyes, standing up with the little box in her hand. She presents it to their daughter, Damon holds Flynn with one arm, wraps the other around Elena's shoulders and presses a kiss to her hair.

Mellie unwraps it, her eyes widening when she sees the pear shaped Morganite necklace surrounded by diamonds. It's the perfect match for her dress. "It's beautiful, thank you so much." She struggles with her own emotions when she hugs her mom and then her dad. After Elena helps her put it on, she takes Flynn and leaves Mellie and Damon alone so she can nurse him.

"I love you little, girl. I'm so proud of you."

"I'm so grateful that you're here today with me. I've thought about the time we missed together, it must be horrible for you to think about what you missed and that breaks my heart for you. But you've always been there for me, with everything. I remember when we saw that moose at Glacier when I was little. I love you daddy, I'm so lucky to have you."

Damon opens his arms, holding his daughter close and kissing her temple. When they part, he wipes away his own tears. It's then that there's a knock on the door telling them it's time.

* * *

Damon walks out with Mellie on her arm. They stop when they reach the back of the church. He smiles at his other two daughters. Emma looks beautiful in a baby yellow sleeveless gown, her long chestnut hair is in a loose braid and draped over her shoulder. She looks so much like her mom.

"You look beautiful, Emma."

"Thanks dad." She reaches up and gives him a hug, he holds her for several moments. After letting go, he looks for Lily who's standing next to her big sister, the bride. She's wearing a baby blue dress, the same one as Em. Her long hair is the same only hers is draped over the opposite shoulder. Damon gives her a big hug and kiss too, telling all three of his girls how proud he is of them.

"I love you daddy," Lily says, wrapping her arms around his neck. When they part, the music starts to play. He extends his elbow for Mellie to latch onto. Beth, Mellie's best friend is the first to walk down the aisle, followed by Ashley, another friend. Lily and Emma are co-matrons of honor so they walk down the aisle together followed by Damon and Mellie. When they reach the altar, he winks at Zach who's one of the groomsmen. He gives her a kiss on the cheek and can't help but choke up when he lets go so she can take Walker's arm. Their eyes meet on last time and then he takes his seat beside Elena who hands him a tissue. He holds Elena's hand tightly, dropping his eyes to his son who's sound asleep in his carrier. He looks up just in time to hear the vows.

"I take you, Walker, to be my partner for life,  
I promise above all else to live in truth with you  
And to communicate fully and fearlessly,  
I give you my hand and my heart  
As a sanctuary of warmth and peace  
And pledge my love, devotion, faith and honor  
As I join my life to yours."

She can't stop the slow slide of tears down her cheeks as she finishes her heartfelt words.

"Mellie, I promise to encourage your compassion,  
Because that is what makes you unique and wonderful.  
I promise to nurture your dreams,  
Because through them your soul shines.  
I promise to help shoulder our challenges,  
For there is nothing we cannot face if we stand together.  
I promise to be your partner in all things,  
Lastly, I promise to you perfect love and perfect trust,  
For one lifetime with you could never be enough.  
This is my sacred vow to you."

Walker's voice quavers a bit as he completes his vows, squeezing her hand tightly, wordlessly telling her how much he loves her.

Elena is sobbing and shakes her head back and forth when she sees Emma and Lily smiling at her. What is she going to do when they're ready to leave the nest too. _Damn hormones. S_ he wipes her eyes yet again. When Flynn starts to fuss a bit, she picks him up just as Mellie and Walker are pronounced husband and wife. Both Damon and Elena look up just in time to see their daughter kissing her new husband. And then with all the pomp and pageantry of The Turtles, Happy Together, they walk back down the aisle to a shower of rice and rose petals

* * *

"Daddy." Mellie offers her hand so they can share the father - daughter dance. He sucks in a breath of air, takes her hand and lets her lead him onto the dance floor. As soon as the orchestra starts playing "Daddy's Little Girl," Damon can feel his throat getting thick with emotion again.

They spin around to the music and although she practiced with Walker, she can't count how many times she squishes her dad's foot beneath her own. Still Damon smiles as their heels click over the ballroom floor. When the song finishes, Walker takes Elena and Mellie takes his father Andrew and they share another dance while Damon watches with his baby son in his arms.

He looks out over the crowd, pleased to see Zack chatting with his uncle Stefan while Emma and Lily are on the dance floor with the groomsmen they were partnered with for the ceremony. All three of his daughters are incredibly beautiful both inside and out. He's so lucky to have found Elena. Everyday he falls more in love with her. He doesn't know how it's even possible to love her more and yet he does.

When the music stops, Flynn fusses a bit so Damon slips his pacifier in his mouth. Elena, Mellie and Walker are approaching, closing the distance between them. As the band starts to play another song, Mellie extends her hands to take her baby brother.

"It's your turn to dance with mom. Go on," she winks, taking his hand to pull him up. Damon carefully passes the baby to her then takes Elena's hand and leads her onto the dance floor. He holds her close, their two hearts beating as one as they sway together.

Mellie watches her parents dancing, she starts to tear up at how lucky she is. She drops her eyes to her little brother when she feels him squirm and lovingly lifts him so his head is on her shoulder. Hearing her sniff, Walker looks at her with concern. "You're crying, Mellie, what's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, look at them, my mom and dad. They're so in love with each other, look at their eyes, it's so obvious, I never really looked at that before."

Walker squeezes her free hand and leans over to give her peck on the cheek. When she meets his gaze, he gives her a wink. "That's going to be us in a few years."

When her eyes drift back to the dance floor, the only word that comes to mind to describe her parents is _Perfect_.

* * *

 _I hope you enjoyed our little two-fer surprise for Valentine's day. Thank you all for reading, it means so much to Eva and I. You're an incredible group of people, thank you for your kindness and generous support._

 _Thank you, Eva. I love you very much._

 _Title: 'Perfect' by Ed Sheeran with Andrea Bocelli._

 _"The Children's Blizzard" will update next followed by "November Rain"._

 _Be safe and have a wonderful, romantic evening. Thank you all again._


End file.
